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Julius Peppers makes the Bears defense go

Put him here, put him there and defense thrives, even without tons of sacks.

Bears defensive end Julius Peppers (90) tries to get to the quarterback in the first half of Chicago's 23-6 win over the Rams Sept. 23 in Chicago. Charles Rex Arbogast Associated Press

The timing isn’t the best for the Jaguars.

Still reeling after giving up six sacks to the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, the Jaguars may face an even tougher challenge this Sunday when they take on the Chicago Bears’ defensive line and their premier defensive end, Julius Peppers.

The Bears’ linemen can cause havoc even when they don’t get a lot of sacks. They had just one sack in Dallas Monday night, but harassed Tony Romo into throwing five interceptions, two that were returned for touchdowns. They could make it a long day for Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

“They’re definitely one of the better defensive lines and they play with their hair on fire and we’ve got to be able to match that,’’ guard Uche Nwaneri said.

And it all starts with Peppers, who got a six-year $91.5 million free agent deal in 2010 with $42 million guaranteed. Many big-money free agents aren’t the same after they get the big money, but he’s the exception to the rule.

“He’s been everything — no, he’s been even more than what we wanted him to be when he became a Bear,’’ coach Lovie Smith said.

His sack total wasn’t eye-popping in his first two years with the Bears. He had 19, although he caused six fumbles. And he has just 2.5 this year.

But he opens things up for other players because opposing offenses have to pay so much attention to him.

A seven-time Pro Bowler, Peppers said at the start of the season, “Just because teams try to take me out of the game doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of the game. You can still impact the game.’’

Of the double-teaming and chipping teams do to stop him, Pepper said, “Take it as a compliment. You also know you’re helping out your teammates. You might not get the looks you want to get as far as getting a single, but you’re helping somebody else. You’re trusting your teammates to get the job done.’’

He’s a main reason the Bears are third in the NFL in sacks with 15, two behind the Bengals, who boosted their total to 17 with the six against the Jaguars last Sunday.

Defensive tackle Henry Melton leads the team with four sacks while defensive end Israeal Idonije and Peppers each have 2.5 and rookie Shea McClellin, who’s still a backup, has two.

Two weeks ago, the defense throttled the Rams, 23-6, holding them to two field goals and scoring a touchdown on Major Wright’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown.

And they do it without doing much blitzing because they can get to the quarterback with their front four.

They’re also stout in stopping the run and rank third in the league in rush defense.

Teammate Lance Briggs said Peppers is the player teams have to account for.

The Bears also keep him fresh by limiting his snaps. He played on 40 of the 70 defensive snaps the Bears had against Dallas.

And while he’s technically a defensive end, the Bears line him up all over the line.

Briggs said, “We move him around. He plays inside. He plays the interior as well as the outside creating some matchup problems for offensive lines. He’s just a guy who is a dominating force in the league.’’

Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey was familiar with Peppers from his days in Atlanta, when he had to scheme against Peppers twice a year.

“You’ve got to find him and it’s not like you can design your scheme around one guy and go, ‘He’s always lined up on this side.’ They’re moving him around. He’s a tough guy to block without help. He definitely can become a game wrecker,’’ Mularkey said.

Nwaneri said: “He’s a very dangerous player. You’ve got to keep him out of that zone. Those elite defensive ends get in zones and they get the tackle or guard on their heels. You don’t want that. He’s a great finisher at the quarterback.’’

Smith said he was shocked when Peppers couldn’t reach a deal with Carolina and hit the open market. It was like Christmas came early when the Bears got to sign him on the dotted line.

“And being a guy that’s been a fan of his from afar for a long time, early on you couldn’t let yourself really think that you really had a legitimate shot until it started to happen and we got a chance to meet Julius,’’ he said.

Smith said he felt like he was recruiting Peppers.

“The money will take care itself, but nowadays free agency is about recruiting and showing a player exactly what you have to offer. He saw it was a good fit,’’ he said.

When Peppers does line up at right end, he’ll take on Eugene Monroe in one of the better matchups in the game. In the opener at Minnesota, Monroe neutralized another noted pass rusher in Jared Allen. And Mularkey said Monroe only gave up one pressure against Cincinnati.

Monroe said of Peppers: “He’s a great athlete. He does a lot well. It’s a great challenge to be playing against him. I’m looking forward to it.’’